At midday on 2 January 2002, RNLI lifeboats became operational on the River Thames. For the first time, the capital has a 24-hour dedicated rapid response service on its river. There are four lifeboat stations, at Gravesend, Tower Pier, Chiswick and Teddington. The first three are manned continuously to provide an immediate response. Teddington operates using volunteers, in the same way as the 223 other RNLI stations around our coasts.It was not long before the need for the new lifeboat stations was shown. The first call came almost as soon as the stations went live and the four Thames lifeboats responded to 14 shouts in the first two days of operation.

By mid-March there had been 115 incidents.

Tower Pier had responded to 46 callouts, Chiswick 44, Teddington 13 and Gravesend 12. This puts Tower Pier and Chiswick well on the way to being the RNLI's busiest stations: the busiest station in 2000. Weymouth (see page 43), answered 113 shouts over the year. Clearly the message 'dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard' is getting through, thanks to a publicity campaign including media coverage, advertising and volunteers handing out prompt cards during London lifeboat week.Since the launch in January, RNLI lifeboats have been involved in several high-profile incidents.

Chiswick and Teddington lifeboats saved five people from floods on 28 February, including a 15- month-old baby and a three-yearold boy.

Heavy rain and the high spring tide had led to extensive flooding.

Chiswick lifeboat was patrolling at Putney Hard when it received reports of a woman and two small children who had been swept into the water at Petershams Ait.

The lifeboat found three women and two children close to Glovers Island. By now the Teddington lifeboat had arrived and rescued the two children and their au pair. The three casualties were put aboard the Chiswick E class lifeboat and treated for the cold. Meanwhile, the Teddington boat rescued the other two women.

All five casualties were transferred to a Port of London Authority launch, which had a heated cabin. A Chiswick crew member went with them to administer first aid. Fortunately, all five made a full recovery.It seems clear that the four Thames stations will have a high profile. Their position in the capital, together with the large number of services they cover, means that the full-time and volunteer crews will soon be used to seeing their names in the paper.

Some of the crew will find this easier than others. Potential crew members undergoing evaluation and training include actors from Casualty and The Bill. So the time may come when an actor, who plays a policeman, but is also a lifeboatman, rescues a stranded sailor and hands him over to an actor, who plays a doctor, and is also a lifeboatman, who can give him first aid. Is that clear?Can you take good photos...

The RNLI is looking for professional photographers or talented amateurs to act on an occasional, freelance basis to keep its image library up to date.

You will need your own equipment, shooting on 35mm print film, not digital. You will need to be comfortable near or on the water as well as around crews or dignitaries. In addition, you will need to be able to travel to all parts of your region, which are sometimes quite remote.

If you think you fit the bill and would like to be involved in future photo shoots for the RNLI, please send a maximum of six uncropped 15cm x 10cm colour print examples of appropriate images - these do not need to be lifeboat related - together with your own full contact details, including a daytime telephone number to: Pix Like These. PR Department, RNLI, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH151 HZ Closing date: 10 May 2002. Entries can only be returned if you include a stamped, addressed envelope.

.. .or give safety advice to sailors? The RNLI is looking for enthusiastic volunteer safety advisers to help give sea users free safety advice in the southwest. Teams of advisers will be offering sea safety advice from popular launching sites throughout the region and additional volunteers are needed to help cover new areas and to boost the teams at existing sites along the south coast between Weymouth and Chichester.

You don't need any experience to volunteer, just be keen to help pass on advice that could help to save lives at sea. You will be given full training on how to give safety information to users of all types of craft, ranging from jet skis to dinghies. Volunteer advisers need to be over 17, able to communicate well with people and able to spare one Saturday or Sunday once a month during the busy boating times. Anyone wanting to volunteer can contact the RNLI sea safety team on freefone 0800 328 0600 for an information pack For more information, visit the website at www.lifeboats.org.uk Lifeboat launches live on the web By the time this edition is published, ;T,V:__ , ., * supporters will be able to see which lifeboats have launched around the country, simply by looking at the RNLl's award winning web site.

This exciting development is the direct " result of the paging system (COACSl for crews that has recently been installed around the UK and Republic of Ireland. Whenever a lifeboat is launched, the system sends an email message to the website and the relevant station begins to flash red on the web site maps. After an hour, the flashing stops, but the station remains red for the next 23 hours, before returning to its normal colour. The whole system ts remarkably simple, but for the first time, both the RNLl's HQ and our supporters can see exactly what is happening around the coast.

So why not take a look and see what is happening right now.

www.lifeboats.org.ukThe RNLI Strategic Plan outlines the lifeboat service's main activities and objectives for 2002 - 2006 and includes an amended mission statement and a financial summary.

The new plan differs from previous editions, with the main activities split into eight definitive sections reflecting the different aspects of the RNLI's work. Each section begins with an overview that is broken down into a number of specific targets to be achieved over the next five years. The plan also marks the introduction of key performance indicators, which will help to measure the RNLI's overall effectiveness.

If you would like to receive a copy of the plan, please send an A5 stamped addressed envelope to: The RNLI Strategic Plan, Corporate Services Department, RNLI, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ.Goodbye to the Wessex Lifeboats from Larne, Donaghadee and Bangor, in Northern Ireland, took part in an air/sea rescue display in Bangor this February. The ceremony marked the retirement from service of the Royal Air Force Wessex helicopter. The Wessex had provided back-up search and rescue cover in Northern Ireland for over 30 years until its retirement from service on 31 March. Primary search and rescue cover in Northern Ireland is provided by Royal Navy and RAF Sea King helicopters based at Prestwick, in Scotland, and RAF Valley, North Wales. The Sea King is a specialised search and rescue helicopter with crews specifically trained for that purpose. They have the ability to fly, day and night, in extreme weather and for a great distance.

Typically, a Sea King can be launched within 10 minutes during the day and 30 minutes at night.Offshore boost Olympic sailing gold medallist Shirley Robertson MBE has joined Offshore, the RNLI membership for all those who use the sea. Shirley said: 'Joining Offshore means that as a sailor, I am supporting the fantastic work of the RNLI. I believe that anyone who goes on the water may at some point need the services of the RNLI. If I can help to support the charity and the volunteer crews through Offshore, then that's great.' Shirley was among nearly 600 people who joined Offshore at the London Boat Show, held at Earls Court in January.

This brought the total number of Offshore members to around 38,000.RNLI proposes constitutional change Over the past year considerable work has been undertaken in amending and updating the RNLI's Royal Charter and Bye- Laws, which are its governing instruments. These amendments, which have recently been agreed by the Executive Committee and the Committee of Management, will be put to the Governors for their approval at the Annual General Meeting in May. They will then go for formal approval to the Charity Commission and to the Privy Council. However, as both these bodies have been involved in the drafting, the Institution does not anticipate any problems.

The need to amend the Charter was brought about by the RNLI's move into inland waters and the increasing work in flood relief.

The present Charter only allows for activities 'at sea'. However, having started the process, it seemed an ideal opportunity to go a step further and see if other areas could be modernised or broadened in scope.

The main changes are these: The RNLI's formal title is 'The Royal National Lifeboat Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck'. After the AGM the formal title will be just The Royal National Lifeboat Institution The 'objects clause' has been widened to allow the Institution to provide a service on inland waters as well as at sea, and to carry out nonlifesaving roles, such as medivac and flood relief.

The titles and functions of the committees have been clarified. The Committee of Management will become The Council. The Council will be the electoral college for the Trustees. It will also have the responsibility of guiding and advising the Trustees.

The Executive Committee becomes the Trustee Committee and will have the full responsibility for directing the policies of the RNLI.

The Standing Committees will be known as Advisory Committees and will guide and advise the chief executive and senior management team in various specialist aspects of the RNLI'swork.

• The retirement age from all committees has been reduced to 70. There will be transitional arrangements over the next five years as this new rule takes effect.

• In general, the opportunity has been taken to simplify the Charter and Bye-Laws and to widen the powers of the Trustees. Widening the powers does not mean that the Trustees will necessarily choose to use these powers.

They are there for future use if circumstances dictate.

It is hoped that this widened and modernised document will be able to serve the purpose of good governance for the RNLI for at least the next 15 or 20 years without revision.The last of its Brede The last remaining RNLI Brede class lifeboat has retired from service. The last of the intermediate class lifeboats, at Calshot lifeboat station, was decommissioned in December 2001 when the station was allocated an Arun class lifeboat.

The relocation of the Arun Margaret Russell Fraser will improve the cover provided in the busy Solent area. The Brede class was restricted to operating in conditions not exceeding gale force 8. The Arun class lifeboat has no launching limitation.

Although there are no longer any Brede class lifeboats operating in the RNLI, many former RNLI boats are now operating abroad, in countries as far afield as South Africa and Australia.Full house X rare chance to see five FtNLI lifeboats together. The occasion was a visit by the Dutch lifeboat sen/ice on 13 January.

L-R; Relief fleet Tyne class lifeboat Good Shepherd, Arbroath Mersey class lifeboat Inchcape, Monfrose Tyne class lifeboat Moonbeam, Broughty Ferry Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth of Glamis and (front) Arbroath D class lifeboat Coachmakers of LondonPam Rhodes presents Public Relations Awards Television presenter Pam Rhodes presented the RNLI's prestigious annual Public Relations Awards at a ceremony in London in January.

The lifeboat service relies on maintaining a high public profile in order to attract volunteers to crew the lifeboats and help raise the £100m a year it costs to run the lifeboat service.

The Public Relations Awards, which recognise exceptional individual or group contributions in promoting the lifeboat service, fall into four categories. This year's winners are: Broadcast Media: Pamela Ballentine, Ulster TV Print Media: DC Thomson, publishers Display/Audio Visual: Merseyside Maritime Museum Special Category: Gerry Nagle, Euro RSCG (Ireland)t 96th lifeboat lottery George Duffy, Ian Sheridan, David Howard and Aaron Howard from Howth lifeboat station and Paul Gamble from Fowey were invited to pick the winning tickets in the 96th Lifeboat Lottery. The five crew members, accompanied by Darren Scully, divisional technician Ireland, were attending pre-commissioning training for Trent mechanics at the training centre in Poole.

Top prize in the draw was £3,000 of Thomas Cook holiday vouchers, which was won by Mrs VM Ayling of East Sussex.

Second prize of £1,000 cash was won by Miss M Lewis from Peterborough. In total the 96th RNLI lottery raised £177.856..